Shelf apparatus for showcase

ABSTRACT

An object of the present invention is to provide a shelf apparatus for a showcase in which work labor can be lessened and a shelf support can be installed at a proper position easily in performing the work for changing a space between shelves or the number of tiers of shelf. In the shelf apparatus for a showcase including a shelf plate on which commodities are placed, a shelf support for supporting the shelf plate, and a connecting member which connects the shelf plate to the shelf support and enables the shelf plate to slide in the depth direction, either one of the connecting member and the shelf plate has a locking wire, and the other thereof has a locking groove which the locking wire can be locked to and unlocked from. When a space between shelves or the number of tiers of shelf is changed, the locking wire is unlocked from the locking groove, by which the shelf plate is removed from the connecting member and the shelf support, so that the shelf apparatus is separated into two parts. Therefore, each part can be installed separately, so that the work for changing the arrangement position of shelf apparatus can be performed easily.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a shelf apparatus provided in tiers in a showcase and, more particularly, to a shelf apparatus in which a shelf plate can be stored on shelf supports and the shelf plate can be pulled out forward.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Conventionally, as a shelf apparatus for an open showcase, a shelf apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Gazette No. 2529051 is publicly known.

[0005] This shelf apparatus has a shelf plate on which commodities are placed. Also, the shelf apparatus has shelf supports which support the shelf plate so that the shelf plate is inclined in such a manner that the front end of shelf plate lowers. Further, the shelf apparatus has a connecting member for connecting the shelf plate to the shelf support. This connecting member connects the shelf plate to the shelf support so that the shelf plate can slide in the depth direction with respect to the shelf support.

[0006] When commodities are resupplied onto the shelf plate stored on the shelf supports, the work is performed by the procedure described below. First, the front end of shelf plate is grasped by hands and is pulled out forward. Then, commodities to be resupplied are placed on the shelf plate. Subsequently, the front end of the shelf plate onto which commodities have been resupplied is grasped by hands and is pushed back. Thereby, the shelf plate onto which commodities have been resupplied is fixed on the shelf supports again, thereby completing the resupply work.

[0007] The shelf apparatus disclosed in the above-described gazette is used for a single-tier showcase (showcase provided with one shelf apparatus) However, this shelf apparatus can be used for a multi-tier showcase (showcase provided with a plurality of tiers of shelf apparatuses).

[0008] For the multi-tier showcase, sometimes, a space between the vertically adjacent shelf plates is changed or the number of tiers of the shelf apparatus is changed depending on the kind, quantity, etc. of stored commodities. In order to perform such changing work, first, a locking portion of shelf support is removed from a hook hole in a shelf pillar while holding the shelf apparatus by hands. As a result, the whole of the shelf apparatus is removed from the multi-tier showcase. Subsequently, the shelf apparatus is moved to a position of a desired height, and the locking portion of shelf support is locked again to the hook hole in the shelf pillar. By such installing/removing work, the space between the shelf plates can be changed, or the number of tiers of shelf plate can be increased or decreased.

[0009] For the above-described shelf apparatus, however, since the shelf plate and the shelf support are fixed to each other via the connecting member so as to be not separated, the weight of the whole of the shelf apparatus is considerably high, so that the installing/removing work for the shelf apparatus is heavy work. Also, since the shelf plate of shelf apparatus is long in the transverse direction, the shelf plate is sometimes warped during the installing/removing work. For this reason, it is difficult to lock the shelf supports connected to the right and left of shelf plate to the hook holes at the same height at the right and left.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a shelf apparatus for a showcase in which work labor can be lessened and a shelf support can be installed at a proper position easily in performing the work for changing a space between shelves or the number of tiers of shelf.

[0011] The present invention of a first aspect provides a shelf apparatus for a showcase including a shelf plate on which commodities are placed, a shelf support for supporting the shelf plate, and a connecting member which connects the shelf plate to the shelf support and enables the shelf plate to slide in the depth direction, wherein either one of the connecting member and the shelf plate has a locking member, and the other thereof has a locking groove which the locking member can be locked to and unlocked from.

[0012] According to the present invention of the first aspect, when the shelf plate is stored in the showcase, the locking member is locked to the locking groove. Thereby, the shelf plate is fixed to the shelf support via the connecting member.

[0013] On the other hand, when a space between shelves or the number of tiers of shelf is changed, the locking member is unlocked from the locking groove. Thereby, the shelf plate is removed from the connecting member and the shelf support, so that the shelf apparatus is separated into two parts. Therefore, the installation work for the shelf plate and the installation work for the shelf support can be performed separately, so that the work for changing the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus can be performed easily, and the positioning of the shelf support can be performed exactly.

[0014] The above-described and other objects and features and advantages of the present invention will be made clear by the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a side view of an open showcase;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a general perspective view of a shelf apparatus;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a back face of a shelf plate;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the assembling of a shelf plate, a shelf support, and a connecting member;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shelf plate is assembled to a connecting member;

[0020]FIGS. 6A and 6B are an explanatory view showing a regulation releasing operation of a stopper; and

[0021]FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are a side view showing a sliding operation of a shelf plate and a removing operation of the shelf plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] FIGS. 1 to 7 show one embodiment of a shelf apparatus for a showcase in accordance with the present invention.

[0023] First, the construction of the showcase will be explained briefly with reference to FIG. 1. The showcase shown in the figure is a multi-tier open showcase 1 (hereinafter referred to as a showcase 1), in which five shelf apparatuses 2 are arranged vertically therein. Also, bottled commodities S1 are placed on the shelf apparatus 2. When the commodities S1 must be kept cold, the interior of the showcase 1 is cooled by cooling equipment, not shown.

[0024] Next, the construction of the shelf apparatus 2 provided in five tiers in the showcase 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 to FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C. The shelf apparatus 2 has a shelf plate 21 on which the commodities S1 are placed, shelf supports 22 which are located at both ends, right and left, of the shelf plate 21, and connecting members each of which connects the shelf plate 21 to the shelf support 22.

[0025] The shelf plate 21 has a shelf body 211 of a flat box shape whose upper face is open, and the commodities S1 are placed on the shelf body 211. Also, in front of the shelf body 211, a front block 212 extending transversely is provided. Further, on the upper face of the front block 212, a wire guard 213 is provided. This wire guard 213 prevents the commodities S1 on the shelf body 211 from dropping.

[0026] On the back face of the shelf body 211, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 7A, 7B and 7C, a locking wire 214 is provided. This locking wire 214 extends in the transverse direction over the total length of the shelf body 211 on the front side thereof, and each end portion of the locking wire 214 is bent into an L shape so as to be locked to and unlocked from a locking groove 232 c, described later. Also, at each end on the lower face of the front block 212, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6A and 6B, a releasing member 215 bent into an L shape in cross section is provided. This releasing member 215 pivotally supports an attaching base plate 215 a on the back face of the front block 212 with a screw 215 b. Also, in an erected portion, two claws 215 c and 215 d are formed at the front and the rear. When the front claw 215 c is turned inward, as shown in FIG. 6B, the rear claw 215 d comes into contact with a stopper 222, described later, and pushes outward and opens the stopper 222.

[0027] The shelf support 22 is formed by a plate, and extends in the depth direction in the showcase 1 as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. Also, the upper and lower ends of the shelf support 22 are bent inward, and an upper bent portion 221 supports the bottom face of the shelf body 211. The upper bent portion 221 is inclined downward from the rear end toward the front end. As a result, the shelf plate 21 supported on the upper bent portion 221 is also inclined toward the front like the upper bent portion 221. By inclining the shelf plate 21 in this manner, when a commodity S1 in the forefront is sold, the following rear commodities S1 are slid successively toward the front.

[0028] On the back face of the shelf plate 21, a holding plate (not shown) which is fitted in the upper bent portion 221 is provided. When the shelf plate 21 is supported on the shelf support 22 as shown in FIG. 7A, the holding plate prevents the rear part of the shelf plate 21 from coming off the shelf support 22. Also, when the shelf plate 21 is slid forward from the shelf support 22 as shown in FIG. 7B, the holding state of the shelf plate 21 is released.

[0029] On the front side of the shelf support 22, the stopper 222 is provided. The stopper 222 is formed by a plate spring extending in the depth direction. Also, at a substantially middle position in the depth direction of the stopper 222, a stop portion 222 a bent substantially into an L shape toward the inside is formed. Also, at the tip end of the stop portion 222 a, a contact portion 222 b extending outward is formed.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the stop portion 222 a is normally locked to a notch hole 232 b, described later, by an elastic force of the stopper 222. On the other hand, when the releasing member 215 turns as shown in FIG. 6B, the contact portion 222 b moves outward against the elastic force, whereby the locking state of the stop portion 222 a is released.

[0031] At the rear end of the shelf support 22, hooks 222 c are formed at the upper part and the lower part thereof. The hooks 222 c are locked to a shelf pillar (not shown) erected in the showcase 1, by which the whole of the shelf apparatus 2 is fixed to the showcase 1. Specifically, the shelf pillar is formed with many hook holes (not shown) arranged in the vertical direction, and by locking the hooks 222 c to predetermined hook holes, the shelf apparatus 2 is fixed to the showcase 1 at a predetermined height.

[0032] The connecting member 23 is composed of a sliding mechanism 231 extending in the depth direction and a connecting plate 232. The sliding mechanism 231 has a fixed plate 231 a, a movable plate 231 b, and an intermediate plate 231 c provided between the fixed plate 231 a and the movable plate 231 b. Also, bearings 231 d are interposed between the intermediate plate 231 c and the fixed plate 231 a, and also the bearings 231 d are interposed between the intermediate plate 231 c and the movable plate 231 b. Thereby, the movable plate 231 b can slide in the depth direction as indicated by a double-headed arrow in FIG. 4.

[0033] The front side of the connecting plate 232 is bent substantially into an inverse C shape, and the notch hole 232 b is formed in an inside corner portion of a bent portion 232 a. The stop portion 222 a is locked to and unlocked from this notch hole 232 b. Also, the locking groove 232 c extending vertically is formed at a position close to the bent portion 232 a of the connecting plate 232 as shown in FIGS. 4, 7A, 7B and 7C. The configuration of this locking groove 232 c is explained in detail. The locking groove 232 c is formed so as to first extend downward from the upper end of the connecting plate 232, further extend slightly in the forward direction from the lower end thereof, and further extend downward from the front end thereof. Thereby, even if the locking wire 214 locked to the locking groove 232 c is pulled straight upward, the locking wire 214 does not come off the locking groove 232 c as shown in FIG. 7A. Thus, by locking the locking wire 214 to the locking groove 232 c, the shelf plate 21 is connected to the connecting plate 232.

[0034] The fixed plate 231 a of the sliding mechanism 231 is fastened to the inner face of the shelf support 22 with screws (not shown) or the like, and the connecting plate 232 is fastened to the movable plate 231 b. Thereby, the shelf plate 21 is fixed to the shelf support 22 via the connecting member 23, and the shelf plate 21 can be slid in the depth direction by the sliding mechanism 231 as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C.

[0035] Next, the work for changing the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus 2 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C. When the shelf plate 21 is placed on the shelf supports 22, the locking wire 214 is locked to the locking groove 232 c as shown in FIG. 7A, and the stop portion 222 a is locked to the notch hole 232 b as shown in FIG. 6A. Thereby, the shelf plate 21 is stored in the showcase 1 as in the case of the shelf plate 21 of the uppermost tier shown in FIG. 1.

[0036] When the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus 2 is changed, first, the front claw 215 c of the releasing member 215 is grasped in the state shown in FIG. 6A. Then, the claw 215 c is turned inward as indicated by an arrow mark of dashed line in FIG. 6A. Thereby, the claw 215 d is brought into contact with the contact portion 222 b, and the contact portion 222 b is pushed and moved outward against the elastic force of the stopper 222. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the stop portion 222 a comes off the notch hole 232 b, so that the movable plate 231 b of the sliding mechanism 231 can slide forward. Next, the shelf plate 21 is grasped by hands and is pulled toward the front. Thereby, the connecting plate 232 connected to the shelf plate 21 is moved forward, and accordingly the shelf plate 21 is pulled out forward as shown in FIG. 7B (the same as the second shelf apparatus 2 from the top shown in FIG. 1). Subsequently, the locking wire 214 is pulled up along the locking groove 232 c as indicated by an arrow mark of solid line in FIG. 7C. Thereby, the shelf plate 21 is removed as shown in FIG. 7C.

[0037] After the shelf plate 21 is separated from the connecting member 23, the hooks 222 c of the shelf support 22 are hooked to other predetermined hook holes to change the arrangement position of the shelf support 22 to a new position. Subsequently, the locking wire 214 of the shelf plate 21 is fitted in the locking groove 232 c again to connect the shelf plate 21 to the connecting member 23. Then, the shelf plate 21 is pushed toward the shelf support 22. Thereby, the shelf plate 21 is slid on the shelf support 22. Also, the stop portion 222 a of the stopper 222 is locked again to the notch hole 232 b, by which the sliding motion in the depth direction of the sliding mechanism 231 is regulated. When the above-described work is finished, the shelf plate 21 is supported on the shelf supports 22, and the work for changing the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus 2 is completed.

[0038] According to this embodiment, when the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus 2 is changed, the shelf plate 21 can be removed from the connecting members 23, so that the installation work for the shelf plate 21 and the installation work for the shelf support 22 can be performed separately. Therefore, the work for changing the arrangement position of the shelf apparatus 2 can be performed easily, and the positioning of the shelf support 22 can be performed exactly. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shelf apparatus for a showcase comprising a shelf plate on which commodities are placed, a shelf support for supporting said shelf plate, and a connecting member which connects said shelf plate to said shelf support and enables said shelf plate to slide in the depth direction, wherein either one of said connecting member and said shelf plate has a locking member, and the other thereof has a locking groove which said locking member can be locked to and unlocked from.
 2. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 1, wherein said locking member is a locking wire fixed to the lower face of said shelf plate, and said locking groove is provided in said connecting member so that said locking wire can be locked to and unlocked from said locking groove.
 3. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 1, wherein a stopper for regulating forward sliding motion of said connecting member is provided on the front end side of said shelf support, and a releasing member for releasing the regulation of sliding motion of said stopper is provided on the front end side of said shelf plate.
 4. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 2, wherein a stopper for regulating forward sliding motion of said connecting member is provided on the front end side of said shelf support, and a releasing member for releasing the regulation of sliding motion of said stopper is provided on the front end side of said shelf plate.
 5. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 3, wherein said connecting member is composed of a connecting plate which can be connected to said shelf plate and a sliding mechanism fixed to said shelf support, and said stopper can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting plate.
 6. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 4, wherein said connecting member is composed of a connecting plate which can be connected to said shelf plate and a sliding mechanism fixed to said shelf support, and said stopper can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting plate.
 7. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 3, wherein said stopper is made of a plate spring, and has a stop portion which can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting member and a contact portion extending from said stop portion, and said releasing member has a claw portion which pushes out said contact portion by means of rotation to move said stop portion in a lock releasing direction.
 8. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 4, wherein said stopper is made of a plate spring, and has a stop portion which can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting member and a contact portion extending from said stop portion, and said releasing member has a claw portion which pushes out said contact portion by means of rotation to move said stop portion in a lock releasing direction.
 9. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 5, wherein said stopper is made of a plate spring, and has a stop portion which can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting plate and a contact portion extending from said stop portion, and said releasing member has a claw portion which pushes out said contact portion by means of rotation to move said stop portion in a lock releasing direction.
 10. The shelf apparatus for the showcase according to claim 6, wherein said stopper is made of a plate spring, and has a stop portion which can be locked to and unlocked from said connecting plate and a contact portion extending from said stop portion, and said releasing member has a claw portion which pushes out said contact portion by means of rotation to move said stop portion in a lock releasing direction. 